This article is one in a series describing the seasonal yeasts put out by our liquid yeast manufacturers. This one is..
White Labs 017 Whitbread Ale
“Traditional mixed yeast culture. British style character, slightly fruity, with a hint of sulfur production. This yeast can be used for many different beer styles. The most traditional choices would be English style ales including milds, bitters, porters, and English style stouts. North American style ales will also benefit from fermentation with WLP017. The beer will clear easily.”
Vital stats:
Attenuation – 67-73%
Flocculation – High
Optimum Ferment Temp. – 66-70°F
Alcohol Tolerance – Medium
Manufactured in March and April. Could be available through September.
One of my favorite yeasts, this one does wonders in milds and brown ales. Compared with the Burton Union dry yeast from Brewmaster Jack in this best bitter recipe, the Whitbread yeast was milder aromatically and brought forth the chewiness of the malt character.
Be sure to check out the other seasonal yeasts for this period:
White Labs: 860 Munich Helles Lager
Wyeast: Jan-Mar 1026-PC British Cask Ale™, 1768-PC English Special Bitter™, 1882-PC Thames Valley II™ Apr-Jun 3739-PC Flanders Golden Ale™, 3822-PC Belgian Dark Strong Ale™, 3864-PC Canadian/Belgian Ale™